Veteran, Who Traveled for Granddaughter’s College Graduation, Allegedly ‘Boiled Alive’ in Hotel Shower: Lawsuit

NEED TO KNOW

• A Marine Corps veteran was allegedly “boiled alive” in a resort bathtub, per a wrongful death go well with

• Terril Johnson was staying in San Jose for his granddaughter’s school commencement when the alleged incident occurred

• His household is now in search of a trial by jury for what they called a “horrific and entirely preventable tragedy”

A grandfather died after he was allegedly “boiled alive” in a resort bathtub, a lawsuit states.

Terril Johnson, 77, was staying at the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites at the San Jose Airport on May 22, when his family said they found him “unresponsive” and “partially submerged in water so dangerously hot that they could not touch him without burning themselves,” according to a wrongful death suit they filed in the Superior Court of California on Oct. 15.

Johnson, a Marine Corps veteran, was at the hotel ahead of attending his granddaughter’s graduation from San Jose State University the following day, per the suit.

His household said they “struggled desperately to save” him in the bathtub and watched “in horror as his skin peeled away from his body.”

First responders pronounced Johnson lifeless at the scene, according to the lawsuit.

The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner ruled that the trigger of death was “severe scalding burns of neck, torso and extremities complicating hypertension.”

They said that Johnson had burns on roughly 33.5% of his physique, including his neck and torso, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit from Johnson’s household claims that the resort violated a state plumbing code that requires showers to be outfitted with a valve to restrict most water temperature.

Johnson’s family members called the incident a “horrific and entirely preventable tragedy.” The family is now seeking unspecified damages in a trial by jury.

Per the suit, Johnson, a husband and father of two, was from Fort Wayne, Ind., where he graduated “at the top of his class” in high faculty. After serving in the Vietnam War, he attended Indiana Tech and Ivy Tech, where he also later taught.

“Terril was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, remembered for his faith, work ethic, mentorship, and commitment to family and community,” the suit said of Johnson, adding that he was “in good spirits and having fun with retirement” at the time of his death.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, a son and four grandchildren.

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PEOPLE reached out to Marriott but did not receive an immediate response.

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